Warning-signal.



A. N'. PIERIVIAN.

WARNING SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 8. 1912.

PatentedSept. 12, 1916;

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ALEXANDER 1\T. PIERMAN, 0F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

WARNING-SIGNAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 12, 191 6.

Application filed March 8, 1912. Serial No. 682,413.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALEXANDER N. PIER- MAN, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of Newark, in the county ofEssex and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in lVarning-Signals, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to signaling devices for warning by means of sound,and may be used for any purpose for which such signaling devices can beutilized, but is particularly adapted for use on motor vehicles, such aspleasure cars, motor trucks and the like.

Heretofore there have been two principal types of devices made use offor this purpose, namely, the reed horn which is operated by pressing arubber bulb or similar device, and the electrically operated signalingdevice, which comprises a diaphragm and a megaphone connected therewithand some means operated by the passing of an electrical current forsetting the diaphragm into vibration, thus producing the sound forgiving the desired warning.

The fields of service covered by each of the signaling means abovereferred to and now in general use are to a large extent distinct fromone another, the usefulness of the reed or bulb horn being limitedpractically to city trallic, and under conditions where the distance towhich the warning signal is to be conveyed is not considerable, andwhere the speed of the motor vehicle is relatively slow; and theelectrically operated signaling device covering the field of use whichcorresponds to a more rapid operation of the vehicle, and beingespecially adapted for use in the open country where it may be desiredto convey the sound for a considerable distance ahead and sometimesaround a bend in the road. These conditions are well understood and itis therefore quite a usual thing to find a single motor vehicle equippedwith both of these signaling devices. Nevertheless, although the fieldsof use of the two types of signaling devices referred to are largelydistinct, there exists a zone in which they may be said to overlap andin which there is frequent necessity for a substantially instantaneousshift from one to the other; as, for instance, the operator of thevehicle may make use of the reed horn for sounding a warning to a personwho has plenty of time to observe the signal and avoid collision withthe vehicle, and who is also within easy hearing distance of the signal,but if, for any reason, as inattention or because of the signal beingdrowned by extraneous noises, the signal given by the reed horn .isnotobserved, the occasion arises for the immediate and practicallyinstantaneous use of the louder signal furnished by the electric horn,and inasmuch as in the arrangement heretofore made use of, the actuatingmeans of the two horns, namely, the bulb of the reed horn and the switchor push button of the electrical horn, are separately arranged andsituated perhaps at some distance from one another, there is opportunityand frequently likelihood of the necessary second and louder signal notbeing produced in time to prevent collision, or at least of itbecomingnecessary for the driver of the motor vehicle to slow down orstop the machine, when, if the signal could be readily and quicklyproduced as desired, no such occasion would arise. In the open countrytoo, there is also frequent occasion for the immediate use of theelectrically operated signaling device, in conjunction with the reedhorn. Drivers of wagons and other slow moving vehicles are likely to payno attention to the reed horn, notwithstanding it is perfectly audibleto them, whereas if the electrical horn is used the driver will move outof the way, in a more or less involuntary fashiombeing compelled, as itwere, by the insistent warning of the electrical horn, to make way forthe faster vehicle. It will be seen, therefore, that an arrangementwhichmakes it possible for the warning signaling device of comparativelysmaller volume, such as a reedhorn, to be immediately supplemented atneed with certainty bya loud andinsistent warning, such as may befurnished, for example, by the electrically operated signaling device,is extremely usefulin a variety ofinstances, and it is to fill this-needthat the invention of this application has been produced.

In the preferred form of my invention, means are provided whereby thesounding of the signal of least loudness such as the reed horn,may becontinued as long as desired, and the same means made use of forsounding this signal may be used at will for the purpose of soundingthelouder and rated portions, of the electrical switch to.

different parts of the rubber bulb. With this arrangement, when the bulbis compressed, forthe purpose'of sounding the reed horn, this signalcan'be sounded repeatedly, and the electric signal will not be soundedunless the bulb is compressed-suin- .ciently to bring itssidewallssubstantially into contact with one another, atwhich time theswitch members will be brought into contact and the current for theoperation of the electrical horn will be permitted to pass, thusproducing the louder and more insistent warning so. long as the bulbremains sufficiently compressed. With this arrangement it will beevident that there is no occasion for loss of time in passing from theuse of one signal to another, nor is there the possibility of theoperator of the vehicle, in his haste to sound the second signal, andwith his attention directedon the road in front of him, tomiss thebutton or switch for. the electrical signal when he reaches for it, andthus delay the production of such signal until it is too late. It willbe noted that one advantage of the arrangement of the switch for theelectrical horn within the rubber bulb of the reed horn, is that thelocation of the switch is hidden, and children and inquisitive observerswill not be likely to operate the switch so situated, thus resulting inthe production of useless and unnecessary noise, and also in the uselessand unnecessary using up of the batteries orother source of current forthe electrical signaling instrument. 7

A' modified form of construction in which my invention may be embodied,consists in mounting of theswitch for the electrically operatedsignaling device upon or in direct connection with the operating meansfor the V other signaling device. As the latter device is in mostinstances a reed horn, one form which my invention may take is themounting of the switch for the operation of the electrically operatedhorn wholly upon or in conjunction with the bulb. of the reed horn..With these devices so arranged, it becomes possible to obtainpractically all the advantages'of the preferred form of the device,which I have already referred to, since when the driver of the vehiclehas his hand on the horn bulb, it is also more or '7 less in contactwith the switch for the elecis subjected, will have no effect on theswitch for the electrically operated instrument, and that it isnecessary to operate a separate device for that purpose which, however,is so situated thatit is practically under the hand of the operator whenneeded.

Inasmuch as a horn or megaphone is necessary to be provided for theelectrically operated horn, there is no necessity for providing aseparate similar device for the reed instrument, but the tube containingthe reed may be led directly into the megaphone for the electricallyoperated horn, thus considerably simplifying the device. This, however,while the preferred arrangement, is not essential, as itwill be readilyunderstood, that while a single megaphone may be used for this purpose,in many instances it will be convenient to arrange the electricallyoperated signaling device and the reed operated device at a distancefrom each other, as, for example, on difi'erent sides of the vehicle, inwhich case separate megaphones would naturally be made use of.

In equipping existing signaling instruments already installed on motorvehicles with my invention, nothing is needed except the substitution ofa bulb and switch constructed in accordance with my invention, and ofcourse the necessary wiring for conducting the electric current.

For a better understanding of my invention, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings in which the same reference numerals are appliedto the same parts throughout and in which Figure l is a view partly insection of the preferred form of my invention, and Fig. 2 is a viewshowing a modified form of controlling means.

In the said drawings the reference numeral l is applied to the rubberbulb of the reed horn, and 2 designates the tubing for conveying the airto the vibrating reed, which is shown in dotted lines at 3, and thecontinuation of the tube 2 is connected to the megaphone 4. of theelectrically operated horn 5, which contains a diaphragm andelectrically operated actuating means therefor, not illustrated. Thistube 2 may be connected to the megaphone in any desired manner, or ifdesired a separate megaphone may be provided for the reed horn. Thewires for carrying the current for operating the electrically actuatedsignaling device, are connected by the binding screws 6, 6, the currentpassing through wires 7 and 8 and being supplied from a battery or othersource of current 9. In Fig. 1 the switch members arranged within thehorn bulb are indicated by reference numerals 10 and 11, any suitableelectrical connection between such switch members 10 and 11 and thebattery wires 7 and 8 respectively, being provided. In the drawings Ihave shown 13c 1,198,147 let the wire 7 connected with the metallicferrule 12 which carries the switch member 11, and the wire 8 connectedto the switch member 10 by means of a binding screw 13, protrudingthrough the exterior of the horn bulb. It will be apparent, however,that this mode of connection is merely illustrative, and that any methodof wiring whereby electrical connection is made from the two branches ofthe wiring to the respective switch members within the horn bulb, may beutilized.

In Fig. 2 I have shown a switch comprising members 14: and 15, themember 14 being mounted directly on bulb 1 and being provided with pushbutton 16 in order that it may be conveniently actuated by the fingersof the operator. The wires 7 and 8 for the electrical horn circuit areconnected with the two switch members 14 and 15 respectively in anyconvenient manner.

The operation of my improved device will now be readily understood. Inthe device shown in Fig 1, when the bulb 1 is compressed, the air willbe driven through the tube 2 and actuate the reed horn 3, producing awarning signal which is amplified by the megaphone 4. Such signal may beused as often as desired and may be repeated as frequently as theoperator may wish and in order to obtain in conjunction therewith thewarning signal from the electrically operated instrument 5, it is onlynecessary to compress the bulb 1 until the switch member 10 makescontact with the switch member 11, and as long as these members are heldin contact, the current will pass and the electrical alarm will besounded. It is evident that both the devices may be sounded inconjunction by repeatedly compressing the bulb 1 until the switchmembers 10 and 11 make contact, thus allowing the current to pass for alimited interval, then permitting the bulb to expand and recompressingit, or either of the two instruments may be sounded by itself, the reedhorn by limiting the compression to a degree which does not bring theswitch members into contact, and the electrical instrument by holdingthe bulb so compressed as to retain the contact between the switchmembers.

The operation of the device shown in Fig. 2 will likewise be readilyunderstood. The reed horn is operated by the compression of the rubberbulb 1; and when the operator desires to make use of the electricalinstrument he can readily do so, for inasmuch as the switch button 16 ispractically under the finger of the operator, whose hand is already incontact with the horn bulb, there is no occasion for any loss of time insounding such electrical signal or difliculty in its location.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. The combination of a reed horn comprising a hollow bulb, anelectrically operated signaling device, and a switch for saidelectrically operated device contained within the bulb of the horn,substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of a signaling device operated by fluid pressure andcomprising a hollow bulb, an electrically operated signaling device, anda switch for said electrically operated device contained within the saidhollow bulb, substantially as set forth.

3. In combination a signaling device operated by fluid pressure andcomprising a compressible bulb and an electrically operated signalingdevice, a switch therefor comprislng two normally separated members,both contained within the said bulb and so arranged that they will bebrought into contact when the bulb is sui'liciently compressed,substantially as set forth. 41. In combination, a reed horn comprising acompressible bulb and an electrically operated signaling device, aswitch therefor comprising two normally separated members both containedwithin the horn bulb and so arranged that they will be brought intocontact when the horn bulb is sutli-' ciently compressed, substantiallyas set forth.

5. In combination, a signaling device operable by the passage of acurrent of air and comprising a compressible bulb for creating such aircurrent, an electrical signaling device, and a switch therefor withinthe horn bulb, the switch being so arranged that when the bulb issufliciently compressed the normally separated switch members will bebrought into contact to permit the passage of an electrical current tooperate the electrical signaling device, substantially as set forth.

6. In combination, a pneumatic signaling device comprising a rubber bulband a metallic eduction tube therefor, an electrically operated signal,a switch therefor comprising two normally separated members, one of saidmembers being electrically connected with said metallic tube and theother of said members being movable upon the compression of said bulb tomake contact with the first named member, substantially as set forth.

7. In combination, a rubber horn bulb, and a switch for closing anelectric horn circuit, said switch being located in said bulb,substantially as set forth.

ALEXANDER N. PIERMAN.

Witnesses:

FRANK D. LEwIs, ANNA It. KLEHM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. O.

